All athletes, in order to maximise their level of performance need a good warm-up; full stop! When it comes to pre-game warm-ups, yoga presents a vigorous and thorough strategy that combines stretches with strength-building poses while involving maximal participation of your breath practice to create flexibility above all things but also enhance circulation and concentration. View Pre-game Yoga Warm-up Routine by Clicking HERE The post appeared first on Elite Sports Clubs.
Pre-Game Yoga Benefits
Enhanced flexibility: Yoga stretches tight muscles to help improve your natural range of motion — a quality that can aid in avoiding all types of injuries when strenuously working out.
Improved Circulation: The active yoga poses encourage blood flow to muscles, which in turn deliver the necessary oxygen and nutrients needed for muscle function.
Better Ability To Fire Muscles: Yoga helps you fire the right muscles-meaning, your body knows which muscle should be working for every position in a golf swing.
Mental Focus and Clarity: When athletes have clear their minds with mindfulness approaches (or, just nagging mom about eating salads in a peaceful way) it helps them to get into the game calm and focused…not worrying that they are floating away like poor Wayne.
Balanced Energy: Yoga helps balance their energy levels meaning that the athletes do not get too amped or laid back, finally arrived in perfect timing for performance.
Essential Yoga Poses for Pre-Game Warm-ups
A comprehensive yoga pre-game warm-up should have poses that stretch the main muscle groups, encourage freedoms of movement and also include a breath connection. Here’s a detailed routine:
Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasanaor Bitilasana)
Benefit: Stretches the spine, massages and stimulates back muscles, improves circulation.
How to: Start on your hands & knees Exhale, rounding the back and tucking the tailbone (Cat Pose). Exhale, rounding your back and tucking the chin (Cat Pose) Repeat for 1-2 minutes; moving with the breath.
Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward-Facing Dog
Benefits: Helps stretch the hamstring, calf and shoulder muscles; strengthens arms, legs.
How to do it: Begin on all fours, toes tucked and hips lifted in inverted V shape. Pause for 5-10 breaths, taking the decision to pedal your feet if you wish a more intense stretch.
Dynamic High Lunge (Anjaneyasana) Variation
Benefits: Hip flexors stretch/focus, lower body strength and balance.
How to do: Stand with your left foot back and right foot front in a lunge position. Inhale, raise arms overhead. Inhale, arms up and front leg bent again-to walk the back foot slightly forward on a high lunge bend hips down towards your right (front knee). Exhale both hands to floor straighten front leg. Perform this moving, dynamic stretch for 5-10 breaths per side.
Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
Benefits: Stretches the groins and psoas, which are immense for ambulant or squirming in crowds (we were somewhere near stage left) and stretches it up with your breath.
How to: Stand with one foot in front and the other behind, bending your front knee at a 90-degree angle. This pose should be accompanied by arms reaching over the head and up to 5 breaths. Repeat on the other side.
High Plank / Low plank
Pros: Will help you work your core, arms and shoulders with the extra strength benefits.
How to do It: Begin in high plank with hands under shoulders. Lower to a low plank (body flat) position and exhale keeping elbows close to the body. Exhale, press back to high plank. Repeat 5-10 times.
Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
Benefits: Works the quads, glutes and core muscles while also really challenging your balance.
Method: With your legs together, bend your knees and do like sitting on a chair. In another example, raise arms overhead and hold for 5-10 slow breaths gazing forward (i.e. no neck curling) with a straight spine.
Dynamic Side Lunge (Skandasana)
This helps to improve mobility in the inner thighs and groin, as well as lateral movement strength gates.
Method: Stand in a large posture Lower one knee and bend the other, holding all of the weight in that leg as you extend your opposite foot. Switch sides in a fluid motion, 1-2 minutes.
Forward -bend (not-bending forward to pick up a dropped sock.)
Benefits Stretches the hamstrings, calves & lower back Helps relax.
Form: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hinge at the hips and fold forward letting you head hang. Stay for 5-10 breaths, and rock from side to side gently
Incorporating Breathwork
I consider breath work to be a fundamental part of my practice and it would replace the pre-game warm up because its purpose is for improved concentration as well:
Ujjayi Breathing (the Ocean Breath)
Inhaling and exhaling through the nostrils only, having a slight constriction in our throat to make the sound of waves; Hold this breath for the entirety of your warm up, to create a consistent and relaxing rhythm.
Channel Purification (Nadi Shodhana aka Alternate Nostril Breathing)
Practice: Sit comfortably. Inhale through the left nostril by closing right with thumb. Use the right ring finger to gently close off the left nostril, and exhale through your right side. B 3 – Inhale right nostril, block and exhale from left. Do the same for 1 to 2 min and this will help you in balancing your mind an body.
A Yoga Warm-Up for Game Day
Here is how to design a pre-game yoga routine that works.
Time: 10-20 minutes to provide ample time for you determine the heat of things, depending on how fast or short your next activity might be
Repetition: do the dipping routine in practice prior to games and hard training sessions, so it becomes a ritual that gets you ready each time.
Calm: Concentrate on breathing and awareness of the body throughout, to maintain focus; reduces pre-game nerves.
Individualization: Modify poses and design the sequence to meet particular requirements or tight areas, tailoring postures considering every person’s level of flexibility and strength.
Pre-Game Yoga Warm-up Routine for Example
Here is a 15-minute pregame yoga warm-up routine you can use to get your body and mind ready for peak performance:
Cat-Cow Stretch: 1-2 minutes
Downward Facing Dog: 60 seconds (walk the legs)
DYNAMIC LUNGE (5 BREATHS PER SIDE)
Warrior I: 5 breaths per side
High Plank into Low Plank: 5-10 reps
Chair Pose: 5-10 breaths
Lateral Lunge With Dynamic Reach: 1-2 minutes
Intense Forward Bend: 5-10 breaths
Ujjayi Breathing (Throughout the routine)
Cool down with Alternate Nostril Breathing: 1-2 minutes
With this game-ready yoga warm-up, you can increase flexibility (mobility) and improve strength in today’s athletic engagement. PerformancetipUse yoga as preparation to success on the field, court or track.